Kinetic I
by Pearie
Summary: The first in a series of stories pertaining to the members of Kinetic, a faction on the Dreamweaver Server in the MMORPG Perfect World.
1. Chapter 1

Author's Notes: Hi! You can call me Hayley! My pen name is Pearie though! :p

In Perfect World, I play a cleric named Thiele and also a barb named Riff! They are both in the faction Kinetic on Dreamweaver server. This fanfiction is based on real people's characters (with permission) so I think those that are familiar with Kinetic members or are in the faction will enjoy this the most! So... join Kinetic! =p

I think I will make a character list later as more and more characters are added. It will contain brief info like gender, race, appearance, and personality traits since the list of people wanting to be in my stories are growing! =D

Oh! In this story, the Tideborn were just recently discovered so seeing one mainland PW was supposed to be rare. Also, barbs, venos, and tideborns usually tend to stay in humanoid form as much as possible. Riff however, like tiger mode! :]

Anyways, please enjoy!

**Chapter One**

Another mosquito bite, another bead of sweat, and another rejection. Riff sighed. It was hard being a barbarian. If you didn't intimidate people, you disgusted them. He couldn't help that he disliked taking baths. Besides, he didn't really fit in the Kinetic shower stalls, even in his humanoid form. Riff pawed at the air desperately to rid it the presence of mosquitoes. He had been sitting on a large cluster of rocks by the bank of Phoenix River, just west of Archosaur. From atop the boulders, he would shout down at any passerby not wearing the colors of any known faction the usual speech, "Hi there! Come join Kinetic! We are a big happy family and we like to explore dungeons, carry out bounty quests, and manufacture goods!". Of course, some of the people belonged to another lesser known faction and got offended when they were asked to join Kinetic.

_Sigh... no luck today... guess I'll stay just a bit more... huh? What's that?_

Something was drifting downstream but the glare of the afternoon sun blinded Riff from seeing what it was. Even though he knew that curiosity killed the "cat", he ignored that notion and leaped into the river, swimming towards the unknown object. Once Riff got closer, he realized that the "object" was an unconscious girl! Or... fish girl... or mermaid! That was the term he was looking for. Riff gasped. It had just hit him that this mermaid was a Tideborn! He remembered reading in the _Duke Blacke's Daily Rag_ that Archosaur scientists had recently discovered a new race hidden far beyond Dreamweaver Bay. Upon closer inspection, Riff saw that she was adorned with tattoos. Also, he noticed that all she had on was what he decided to call a "seashell bra". Blushing slightly, he swam under her and brought her back to land.

_Strange... aren't mermaids supposed to be able to live underwater? What's wrong with her?_

Seeing as she had a pulse and no obvious wounds of any kind, Riff decided it was best to bring her to the nearest apothecary. After putting her on his back, he sprinted back to Archosaur.

"Excuse me! Coming through! Excuse me! Hey! Oops, sorry. Hi! Excuse me!"

The apothecary raised an eyebrow when Riff ambled in wet with an unconscious mermaid girl on his back. Without asking any questions, the apothecary produced a potion that he poured down the Tideborn girl's throat. Within minutes, the girl coughed and spit up some water. She looked up at the apothecary and Riff, and then fainted again. Riff felt sheepish as he forgot that he was quite an intimidating sight to those that have never seen a barb in true form before. It seemed that the apothecary suddenly become quite conscious of his own appearance, not realizing it was Riff that caused the fainting.

"I think it would be best you come back later. Meanwhile, I will go take a bath so please excuse me."

Riff was very curious about Tideborns and since he had the fortune to be in the presence of one, he decided to stay and observe. Inching closer to the bed, he sniffed. The girl had a sweet scent of ocean breeze and a touch of sea cucumber. Riff had a powerful sense of smell and could remember a scent for however long he cared to remember it. He had once worked as a perfume tester for the apothecary which ended up a disaster as he was accused of sexual harassment when he would follow the girls around sniffing their scents. Anyways, this was a new scent to him and as he sniffed some more, Riff found a dagger pointed at his throat.

"Any closer and I will end you."

Yikes! Riff thought. It was the Tideborn girl! Somehow, her fin had disappeared and she had two legs! Could it be that Tideborn had humanoid forms as well? Now was not the time to ponder that though, since the Tideborn girl was intent on her words. She had a dagger pointed to Riff's throat while she sat up. Riff, at this point, was sort of whimpering, and the Tideborn girl, seeing that he was no threat, lowered and sheathed her dagger.

"So... what were you doing? Wait, never mind, I don't want to know."

Riff had now calmed down a bit and proceeded to introduce himself and tell her what had happened. She seemed surprised when he told her she was now in Archosaur. It also puzzled Riff when he asked how she ended up floating down Phoenix River when she abruptly changed the subject.

"Oh, my name is Ume by the way, and thanks for saving my life, Riff!"

"It's no problem, Lady Ume... "

_*Grrowwwlll....*_

"What is that?" Ume asked while giggling, "Was that your... stomach? Why don't we find some food?"

"That sounds good." Riff replied sheepishly.

Iron Stomach Buffet was the new hot joint around West District. It had seven long aisles of fresh food from sweet to spicy to salty to bizarre. With a single fee of 5000 coins a customer, it was quite a good deal for the eater. Riff was going to pay of course, being the gentleman he was. Also, Ume didn't have any money. In fact, the idea of money seemed strange to her.

"So no one helps or gets anything unless they can give these... coins? I don't get that. You can't really make any practical use out of them or eat them."

"What do you mean?" Riff replied between mouthfuls of lobster, steak, and chicken.

"Well you see, back in my homeland, if anyone needed help, payment was in the form of something more practical. If someone needed- will you slow down?! How do you stuff all that in there and oh nevermind! Anyways, let's say someone needed help harvesting their crops. Instead of handing over some metal circles, the person would pay the helper a portion of the harvested crops. Something of actual value instead of a silly symbol of value."

"Hm..." Riff thought out loud. "That makes sense."

While downing plate after plate, Riff and Ume talked about Tideborns, Archosaur, and food. Eventually, the conversation ended up about factions. Ume, being a newcomer to the mainland, was factionless.

"Say... why don't you come with me to Kinetic headquarters? It's where I live! Loor and the others would be excited to meet you! You would be our first Tideborn member!"

"Um... what exactly is Kinetic? And a member? Do I have to pay... coins?" Ume seemed a bit uncertain.

"Kinetic is a faction! We are a happy family geared towards dungeon exploration, conquering powerful wraith lords, and manufacturing the best goods! Joining is free! All you have to do is pledge yourself. It's easy!"

"Well..."

"Here, how about I take you there and you can look around, talk with some people? You don't have to decide right away. Come on!"

"Wait!"

"Huh? Are you still scared? There is no obligation!"

"No... You forgot to pay... for the food..."

"Oh... oops! Heh heh."

As soon as the coins landed on the table, Riff had Ume on his back and he ran to the teleporter.

"Hi! Riff and Ume to Kinetic Faction Headquarters please!"

The teleporter flipped through her note book to K and looked up at them.

"Please provide the password."

Making sure no one was listening in, Riff whispered to the teleporter, "kinetic dot co dot nr".

Shutting her notebook, the teleporter smiled at them and said, "Okie dokie! Have a nice day!"

Everything went white and a moment later, Riff and Ume found themselves standing on pure white marble. They were in a foyer lined with floating crystals. Orbiting each crystal were little balls of energy.

"Wow... it's beautiful!" Ume gasped. She was quite impressed and Riff was glad.

"Come on, this is just the foyer!" Riff dashed through the door only to stop dead in his tracks.

A lady with emerald green hair and porcelain skin stood in front of Riff. She looked at him disapprovingly and frowned.

"Riff! How many times must I tell you? Just because you can't fit in the shower stalls doesn't mean you don't clean yourself! We had a bath ready for you and you just left the water running?! You are in big trouble! Go scrub the kitchen floor as punishment! And no sneaking food from the fridge!"

By now, Riff was cowering on the ground making the same whimpering sound he made when Ume had her dagger pointed at his throat. It was then, Loor noticed the Tideborn girl standing behind the doorway, unsure of what to do.

"Hello there, sorry about that but Riff here is quite the troublemaker. My name is Loor and I am the leader of Kinetic. Nice to meet you!"

"Hi, my name is Ume! And please don't be to hard on Riff, he saved my life!"

"Well in that case, I guess I won't be so hard on him. Riff, why don't you show Ume around? Taka and I need to get back to discussing our next run in the Twilight Temple. Oh, and go find Noctiss, he was searching for you about something."

"Right away, Loor! Long live the great Loor!"

"Don't push it, Riff."

"Heh heh, sorry Loor."

Ume walked up next to Riff and patted his head.

"Th-thanks, Ume. You saved my life."

Ume rolled her eyes at the irony.


	2. Chapter 2

Author's Notes: Hm... I still haven't gotten to the character list page but I will work on that as well as chapter three! ;D

**Chapter Two**

_Qingzi, huh? This might be a bit hard to do by myself..._

Noctiss sat in his room staring at the scroll containing his new bounty hunter quest. The agency had been throwing down lots of quests ever since the wraiths attacked Orchid Temple. It was quite a mess over there. Qingzi was apparently commanding his army in the Hall of Deception, brewing evil plans to take over. The agency was stupid to think that taking out Qingzi would solve the problem. It was quite obvious that though Qingzi was powerful, he was just another pawn in a greater scheme. The problem was no one knew what quite yet. Though the reward was high, the after effects of his success would be negligible. All that would happen is the Bloodraged Cadaver would take over. Wasn't someone assigned to that job a while ago? They must have been consumed by its evil. Just another Barren Spirit waiting to be released.

_*Knock knock*_

"Come in!" Noctiss answered. He tightened his bandages.

It was Takamura. She was one of the head Blademasters. Her feats were heard of throughout the country. What she was doing in the humble Noctiss' room was beyond his knowledge or intuition. Putting aside the bounty scroll, he stood to greet his visitor.

"Greetings, Takamura. How are you?"

"Hello, Noctiss. I'm quite well, yourself?"

"Pretty good. Just got my new quest."

"I heard from Loor."

Noctiss scratched his bandage covered head. He wasn't sure what to talk about. It was kind of awkward.

"What... happened to get you wrapped up like that?" Takamura asked.

Why she didn't ask much earlier, Noctiss wasn't sure. He had been in the faction for a few days already. Perhaps she was being sensitive and not bringing up a potential memory of pain and suffering. Perhaps she could ignore her curiosity no longer and felt compelled to ask. Unfortunately, he could not tell her the truth... yet. It was too risky. He would have to keep this charade up longer. Noctiss was wrapped head to foot in bandages. He looked like a mummy. In fact, Loor was the only one who knew what he really looked like. All that people could discern from him was pale purple lips and deep pitch black eyes. Everything else was just white bandages, which he changed when no one was around. Noctiss was kind of like... a mummy.

"I guess I should at least have the decency to explain my unusual appearance." Noctiss started.

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have-"

"It's okay. I know you have been burning with curiosity since I got here a few days ago." Noctiss interrupted. "In a tragic fire back in my hometown... I was burned quite horribly. In order to save people from having to suffer the ordeal of my hideous appearance, I have taken it upon myself to always be completely bandaged from head to foot... like a mummy. It is actually more comfortable for me as well since my skin is easily irritated."

There was a pause as Takamura took it in.

"That's... that's so terribly sad..."

"Was that the reason for your visit? Forgive me, I don't mean to be rude but I am about to prepare for my latest quest. Was there anything else I could be of help?"

"Well... I also came to provide advice. During my stay at Orchid Temple, I discovered a secret passage that most likely leads to the heart of Qingzi's lair, the Hall of Deception. Instead of rushing the main entrance of the Hall, there is an isolated ruined tower a ways southwest of Orchid Temple that has stairs leading down to a hidden passage. I only traveled a bit before turning back due to time restraints, but it led in the direction of Qingzi's lair. Perhaps that advice could be of some use."

Noctiss nodded. "Thank you. I think I will check that out."

"Good luck, Noctiss, as a fellow blademaster, I am glad to have you in the faction."

"Thank you, Takamura."

_Huh... me? A blademaster? Yeah right. I am quite different from a blademaster... But I must not get full of myself, as there are some things an assassin cannot do that a blademaster can..._

~ * ~ ~ * ~ ~ * ~

Standing in the atrium of Kinetic Headquarters, Riff let Ume take in the sight. They were standing on the Kinetic symbol embossed into the center of the floor. Beyond that was a circular staircase leading to the next three floors. To the left of the staircase led a hallway to the kitchens, dining room, and party hall. The dressing rooms, showers, and bath were located down the hallway to the right of the staircase. Just recently, a huge, isolated bath made especially for Riff, Battle, and the other barbs were installed. It was not segregation, but simply the fact that the barbs, even in humanoid forms, did not fit the shower stalls. In fact, some members have requested to use the baths as well. No names will be named but a certain female cleric with light pink hair had been repeatedly expressing desire to have a big bubble bath with everyone... dressed in swimming attire of course.

"And the second floor is meeting rooms, classrooms, and training rooms." Riff explained. " Above that are rooms for members. So far, only those that pay a humble rent every month can stay. Otherwise, you must find your own place to sleep. Usually members not staying in HQ already live somewhere else and visit every now and then. If you do choose to stay in a room though, it is a fee of 10,000 coins per month. The top floor is... well, I'm not allowed to tell you unless you become a member. Maybe I can show you later if you decide to become a member..."

Ume was impressed. This was far more than she expected. She could picture herself living here. Eating, sleeping, and working in a nice place like Kinetic HQ. Unfortunately, she didn't have any money. Riff saw the frown appear on her face.

"That's right! You don't have any money... Here, you can stay in my room until you earn some! Don't give me that look, I'm not a pervert... I'll sleep on the floor so don't worry."

Before Ume could say anything, Loor had approached the two.

"Hey Ume and Riff! How are you liking Kinetic HQ so far?"

"It's simply fantastic! I love the floating crystals in the foyer and atrium."

"Ah, I love those as well! One of our top crafters carved each one out and had them enchanted by our wizards. Say, have you seen Taka around, Riff? I wanted to discuss our Twilight Temple run but she disappeared somewhere. Oh! While I am here, I guess I should settle this matter... Ume, would you like to become a member of Kinetic? I trust Riff has explained the general layout, housing fee, and general policies?"

Riff shifted uneasily, "Well... the first two kinda."

"Okay, well our only rules are that you must be able to complete Level 40 difficulty quests and above. Also, you must report to active duty at least once a week. Don't worry, this isn't the army, usually it is just trivial chores like laundry, washing the dishes, or showing newcomers around. Respect everyone and strive to become the best!"

Ume nodded. "Will do. I would love to join Kinetic."

A bright smile lit up on Loor's face. "Wonderful! Riff, go find Noctiss! He's been asking for you in his room! No, not like that! Argh, wipe that silly grin off your face!"

As Riff dashed off to Noctiss' room, Loor turned back to Ume.

"So... as a new member, we will provide you with a codename. It will be used when we are in group missions or in certain situations where your real identity must be kept secret. I don't expect it to be used much, but it is a precaution. Since I had taken the risk of assuming your consent to become a member before asking, I have a codename ready. It is... "CwutiePixie".

Ume blushed at the name but quickly recovered.

"Thank you, Loor."

~ * ~ ~ * ~ ~ * ~

_*Wssh! Crack! Wssh! Crack!*_

The black snake twisted through the air and snapped, leaving a red mark on the victim's back. This victim happened to be the panty thief, Heal, who was scrubbing the kitchen floor in fear. Sitting luxuriously on a stool next to the Kinetic bar, Kai whipped to and fro. Sometimes, she merely cracked the whip, other times, she treated Heal to a "snack". The door opened and a humanoid tiger walked in. It was Battle, the famous barbarian of Kinetic, known for tanking many world bosses without much difficulty. No one messed with him. Coming into the kitchen and seeing the spectacle in progress, Battle shook his head sadly and continued on towards the refrigerator. It was time for an afternoon snack.

_*Wssh! Crack! Wssh! Crack!*_

"Your highness, Kai! Please forgive me!"

"HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN SNEAKING INTO MY ROOM?!"

"No, no! It's not like that! I'm in charge of laundry sometimes... and …"

_*Wssh! Crack! Wssh! Crack!*_

"SCRUB FASTER! I WANT IT SPARKLY CLEAN!"

"Y-yes, master Kai!"

The door opened again, and a handsome dark haired man walked in rubbing his eyes.

"_*Yawn*_ Ah, nothing but a nice long nap! Whoa, what the?!"

_*Wssh! Crack! Wssh Crack!*_

"Hey Psilo." Battle greeted. "Just ignore them, Kai is disciplining Heal for stealing some of her panties."

"Huh... poor Heal... say, what you up to?" Psilo asked, sitting next to Battle at one of the tables.

"We are out of pizza... and eating cereal to me is like munching on a salad... steak is gone... Riff probably ate it before leaving to recruit new members. Oh, we have a new member! Her name is Ume. She is a Tideborn! Our very first one."

"Wow... oh hey, have you read Thiele's latest story?"

"Haven't been able to... is that what she's been doing? Haven't seen her for awhile. Lately all she's been doing is writing and asking everyone to have a bubble bath together..."

"Haha, well she's a hard worker when she sets her mind to it, might as well cut her some slack."

The two conversed while Kai continued overseeing that Heal cleaned the kitchen floor adequately.

~ * ~ ~ * ~ ~ * ~

Far, far away from Kinetic Headquarters, a lone warrior bearing the colors of Kinetic strode confidently through a dark tunnel. In his hands were two hammers polished and powered with blood red rubies. His armor, embedded with shards of power, caused a neon, electromagnetic reaction. The warrior was certainly quite a sight and handy in the dark.

Suddenly, a crowd of women appeared up ahead. They had black hair and were dressed in red, ragged kimonos. Their skin was a pale, lifeless blue and a dark aura surrounded them. The warrior clenched his jaw.

_Got to remember... these aren't women anymore... they are vengeful spirits and will not hesitate to suck the life out of me._

With a burst of energy, the warrior bound forward and slammed the ground with a violent force. He then swung his hammers viciously and destroyed the spirits. The air grew still and a chilling voice was heard.

**Who dares to disturb me deep in my lair? Who dares... what?! My women!! No!!**

It was the infamous Hercule Trioc. The warrior readied himself and attacked. Dodging wild swipes from Trioc's claws, the warrior smashed into Hercule. The warrior was then knocked back with a blast of earth magic. Hercule was summoning enchanted rocks to hurl at the warrior.

"Oof! Ugh..."

Sustaining some damage, the warrior whipped out a glass vial and swallowed the contents. A red glow surrounded him temporarily and the warrior stood up, re-energized. Trioc was summoning up a larger boulder to end the warrior in one move. Adrenaline kicking in more so than ever, the warrior threw a hammer at Trioc's legs, canceling his spell. The two then proceeded to trade blows and finally, Trioc fell to the ground motionless.

"Ha! Not as tough as they say! No one can defeat the mighty Mr Cuddle!"

Suddenly, the good spirits within the cavern summoned a blue aura around Cuddle. A moment later, he found himself right in the middle of Sundown Town, where the villagers were applauding and cheering. Trioc was defeated and peace had come again. After accepting the gifts of the town, which consisted of fine clothing, a basket of delicate fruit, a huge smoked ham, and a bottle of vintage wine. But that was just a small sample of the feasting Sundown will have that night. Though Cuddle was invited, he had to graciously decline as quests were piling up in his file back at Kinetic HQ. After teleporting back to Archosaur, he entered Kinetic Headquarters via the Faction HQ Teleporter.

"Home sweet home!"

The showers were empty and there were sounds of water running in the bath. Since Cuddle knew it was a bath made for barbs, there were no women in there. Stripping to nothing, Cuddle opened the door and jumped in.

"Akpbt! What was that for?!"

"Huh?!" Cuddle exclaimed as a he was pretty sure that was a female voice. "Who's there? And why are there so many dang bubbles?!"

A pink head popped out from the water and the girl splashed him.

"It's me! Thiele! Duh!!" teased the bikini clad cleric.

"Why hello there, what might you be doing in the barb's bath?"

"Um.. hello? What does it look like? I'm taking a bubble bath! And! I'm trying to find some inspiration for my next story."

"... Your newest story?... And Thiele... this is the BARB's bath..."

"Hmph. I'm making a point to the management that they should make this a public pool. It's big enough anyways. It should have bubbles, warm water, and towels. Of course, barbs can use it for baths since they can't fit in the shower stalls, but I think there should be "open swim" times too!"

"Haha, whatever floats your boat. Anyways, I'm bathing here, so leave me be."

"Ha! I was here first so you leave ME be!" Thiele splashed again and some of the bubbles near Cuddle washed away. "Oh my... yikes!"

Cuddle was, of course, completely naked. Thiele had only just noticed and she covered her eyes.

"GET OUT!! EWW!!"

"Okay, okay, geez, you make it sound like YOU are the one naked... sheesh."

"Jerk!!"

Grabbing a nearby towel, Cuddle dashed out the door.

"Hey!! That was MY towel!!"

Escaping into the kitchen after dressing in a fresh set of clothes, Mr Cuddle, by now a hungry panda barbarian, sat down next to Psilo and Battle.

"You guys look sad and hungry... what's wrong?"

"No... pizza... Riff... ate... steak... argh..." Battle was groaning in hunger.

"Haha, you missed a wild spectacle just a while ago. Kai was "disciplining" Heal." Psilo said. "Not sure what they are doing now but I think Kai is making him do all her chores."

"No... You certainly missed a spectacle... Thiele is taking over the barb bath!" Cuddle said sadly."She's turning it into a swimming pool!... which does sound pretty cool... maybe they can install a slide..."

"Except we would probably be too heavy..." Battle interjected.

"We'll make sure it's made for ALL members of Kinetic." Cuddle reassured. "Oh! I almost forgot! Be right back."

Running out of the room, Cuddle went to the storage room and retrieved the huge smoked ham, fruit basket, and wine. He hightailed it back to the kitchen and set it down in front of Battle and Psilo. No words were exchanged. It was understood. All that was heard to those passing by the kitchen was...

"OMNOMNOMNOMNOMNOMNOMNOM... NOM NOM....NOMNOMNOMNOM."


	3. Chapter 3

Author's Notes: Wouldn't mind getting some reviews T.T lol

Hm... character list is up! Only have a few bits and pieces of info on there but it will get continually updated. I have to be careful what info I put on to provide enough for the reader without spoiling anything T.T

Well, here's chapter three!

**Chapter Three**

"So Riff... now that I'm a member, what is on the top floor that is so secret?"

Ume and Riff were strolling by Phoenix River where they first met. Riff had changed back to humanoid form so he wouldn't have to look up the whole time they were talking. His dark blue fur absorbed the heat of the summer sun and it was smothering him.

"I'll tell you, but let's go for a swim first! If... if that's okay with you?"

He was thinking about the state he first met Ume in. Floating unconscious and at mercy to the mutant ninja- ahem, mutant whirler turtles, was how Ume first drifted into Riff's life just yesterday. Would it be too brash to ask her to enter the water so soon?

"Sure!" Ume replied excitedly and jumped into the water.

Surprised at how readily she agreed, Riff deduced that it wasn't her lack of swimming skills that left her half drowned but extenuating circumstances. He then transformed to a tiger and cannon balled into the water. Rising to the surface, he spotted Ume talking to some of the fish. She had transformed into her mermaid form and her now blonde hair glowed in the sunlight. It was a stunning sight to see. Riff found his eyes drifting down to the seashell bra but he quickly looked away.

"Well? Are you going to tell me?" Ume swam up and asked.

"Huh? Oh! Right!" Riff cleared his throat, which sounded like a growl, friendly like. "Please don't get mad... but the top floor is just a huge empty room. I only said that to entice you into the faction, kinda."

"... Are you kidding me?! I was going to join anyway, silly! So it's just a big, empty room? Has it ever been used? For like, parties or something?"

"Not that I know of... we have a party hall on the first floor. It's just a big empty room. I've only been in there twice but I got so bored, I left."

"Well, why don't we go check it out sometime? Maybe we could turn it into something like... a huge water bed!"

"...What's a water bed?"

"Oh! That's right. Back in Raging Tide, none of our beds are stuffed. We have mattresses filled with water! It's just more comfortable for Tideborns because our natural element is of course, water!"

"All except for one tideborn, cough cough." Riff teased.

"Hey! Yesterday was a once in a lifetime thing!" Ume pouted.

"It sure was..." Riff answered. He meant it for two different reasons.

~ * ~ ~ * ~ ~ * ~

"Faster! Faster!"

"YEAH!! COME ON!! FASTER!!"

Riff and Cuddle raced through the halls of Kinetic. On their backs, respectively, were Ume and Kai.

_*Wssh! Crack!*_

"Andale! Andale!"

With her whip, Kai had urged Cuddle ahead in the race. Ume, on Riff's back, giggled to herself as she used a skill known as Windpush. Summoning a strong wind focused according to the user's whim, Ume and Riff shot past Cuddle. Kai, seeing that she needed to act fast, lassoed Riff's hind legs. Ume and Riff crashed to the floor and Cuddle, still running in fear of Kai's skillful whipping, tripped over the fallen competitors and all four of them landed in a heap.

"That was fun! Let's do that again!"

"Yeah!! AWOOOGA!!"

~ * ~ ~ * ~ ~ * ~

Two floors above, Noctiss lay on his bed. He was getting frustrated with Riff. The barb was a loyal and trustworthy friend, but as a tank, he was lacking. It was something about his demeanor that made all the mobs they ever faced not want to attack him. In fact, one time, he even befriended a Barren Spirit! It didn't end well because the Barren Spirit kept trying to suck some of Riff's blood for a snack. When Riff visited Noctiss' room earlier, Noctiss had asked if Riff would tank for his squad. He wanted fewer people and currently, only Riff and Heal were signed on for active duty. Conveniently, they were all he needed. A barb and a cleric. Unfortunately, Riff refused to join unless they had a cleric. Heal, who was currently being punished by Kai, was unavailable. It was starting to anger him.

Suddenly, the door swung open and someone dashed under Noctiss' bed.

"What the Pan Gu?!"

"It's Heal... I... I f-finally escaped..."

"This is perfect! I was gonna ask if you would be the cleric in my squad to take down Qingzi."

"Who's the tank?"

"Riff."

"... Riff?"

"Yes, Riff! There's no one else available!"

"Well... sure then."

"Thanks Heal."

Noctiss dragged Heal from under the bed. Was Kai really this scary? He never really met her himself but has heard of her infamous whipping skills. The two walked down the stairs.

_*Wssh! Crack!*_

"WOOOHOOO!!"

Heal flinched at the sound of Kai's whip.

" ...Riff!... Hey Riff!"

Riff dashed by with Ume on his back. They were rounding the last corner and Cuddle was still in the lead, aided by Kai's "encouragement". Ume saw she needed to take affirmative action.

"Riff..." she whispered into his ear. "I heard that they just unloaded the latest shipment of steak, let's hurry and win this so we can go eat."

It was more than enough. Hunger driving Riff beyond control, he bounded forward and crashed into Kai and Cuddle.

"WHY DO WE ALWAYS END UP IN A FOURSOME?!"

"RIFF!! REPORT TO ACTIVE DUTY!!" Noctiss shouted from the other end of the hallway.

"Ah! Ume, I have to go now... stick with Kai, she'll keep you safe."

"Okay Riff!... but from what?"

"I dunno."

"Haha okay."

Riff ran over to Noctiss and Heal.

"Awesome! We have a cleric now!" Riff exclaimed. "Let's go!"

Noctiss and Heal were more than ready. The three left at once.

"Well ladies," Mr Cuddle began in a very suave manner. "Mr. Cuddle here at your service."

"Hop on, Ume." Kai held out her hand. "I'll teach you how to whip!"

"M-mercy... Master Kai" Cuddle pleaded.

Ume took Kai's hand and got on.

"ALL ABOARD!!" Kai shouted.

"Wait! Wait for me!" Another voice shouted.

It was Thiele.

"Awww it's Mr. Cuddle!"

She took Kai's hand and got on board as well.

"Welcome to the Cuddle Train!" Kai said.

"Thanks Kai. Hi! You must be Ume! Nice to meet you!" Thiele exclaimed and stuck her hand out.

"Likewise, and you must be... the storywriter, Thiele?"

"The one and only! Wow, you have gorgeous nails!! Where did you get polish like that?"

"Oh! It's called Siren's Kiss. The newest line back in Raging Tide!"

"Wow. I need to get some of that."

_*Wump!*_

Mr Cuddle had fainted. Thiele, Ume, and Kai's perfumes combined was just too powerful for his nose to withstand.

"Um.. Mr Cuddle? You okay?" Ume asked.

"And your hair is absolutely beautiful! Who is your stylist?!" Thiele asked while admiring Ume's hair.

And so, still sitting on the unconscious Cuddle, the three conversed about the latest happenings, fashion, and products.

~ * ~ ~ * ~ ~ * ~

_Sigh. With the looming threats upon the world, it has become far from perfect... Pan Gu... how did things turn out like this? Through my immortal years, I have seen many dangers and perils to drive normal beings insane and yet... that fresh feeling of raw dread and bottomless fear soak my very celestial being with the foretelling of this centuries potential happenings._

The Celestial Elder meditated atop the tallest tower of Heaven's Tear, a floating island of holy spirituality. The occasional visitor would come to seek for advice but other than those random conversations, his thoughts, prayers, and harangues stay within his wise mind.

_Those foolish "TW factions" are no help either. Every new century boasted another slew of new powerful fighting forces. Instead of mustering their strength for useful pursuits, they battle among themselves for territory, fame, and glory. There is no glory in wasting energy. Calamity, was it? There has also been word of Equinox being formidable as well, but it seemed Calamity has conquered almost all of Perfect World. When the wraiths attack though, would they be ready? Would they be prepared to face the onslaught of pure raw hatred, killing lust, and demonic energy? Those wraiths have spent nearly as long as I breathing in this world. I remember sealing many demons back in the day. If they were that powerful then, I shudder at the thought of how much power they have conjured by now._

A fly buzzed near the Celestial Elder's left ear. Landing on his head, it suddenly became a butterfly.

_Ah... from filth to finesse. This butterfly... it reminds me of a certain faction I have taken a liking into. Kinetic, was it? Instead of focusing on violence, they focus on the betterment of themselves through supporting each other. They are family, bonded with a force stronger than blood. Kinetic energy. There are many factions similar to Kinetic as well, but it seems they are the biggest around of that type. Unfortunately, they are still clueless to their untapped potential, as well as the other numerous factions scattered about._

A tear slid down the Celestial Elder's face and fell to the world below, drifted by the wind.


	4. Chapter 4

Author's Notes: Well, I think I should make a location sheet as well? Since you need to be familar with the game's geography to picture the setting better. I think I did an okay job describing the setting but who knows. o.o

Maybe if I get some requests for a location sheet, I will. =p

Thanks for your review **Anonymous Scriptures**!!

**Chapter Four**

A lone tower surrounded by guards of apparently random formation appeared before Noctiss, Heal, and Riff as they approached the Secret Passage. It was relatively easy to sneak past them since they were scattered so far apart. Riff's tail bristled as they saw that the guards were undead. Rotting flesh and a stench of death filled his nostrils and it took all he had not to faint. Heal had to quietly cast purify on Riff in order to keep his sense of smell intact. Noctiss, nose wrapped up in his mummy suit, was immune to the damage of lethal odor. The three slipped inside.

"Heal, mind if you buff us now?"

"Sure, no problem."

Heal spun his staff with professional grace. It was so beautiful. Riff gawked as colorful lights swirled and danced around the three of them. Suddenly, Riff felt his muscles tighten, his fur glow, and he suddenly felt imbued with endless energy. He then changed into humanoid form and roared so loudly that the halls shook. This pumped adrenaline into his squad mates and they suddenly felt so much more powerful.

"Riff... ?" Heal said.

"Yeah?"

"Bad idea, man."

"... Sorry..."

The first wave of mobs reacting to the war cry of Riff were just fast but weak pawns. Slamming the ground to create powerful seismic waves, they all fell to the ground with broken legs. Noctiss proceeded to slit all their already lifeless throats. Heal blessed the three of them with his ironheart blessing to keep their health up.

"Rush through!" Noctiss shouted as he activated his skill to become invisible, appearing every now and then to slash down an unsuspecting and unfortunate servant of Qingzi. Riff roared loudly and all the mobs turned towards him. Seeing it was just Riff, they quickly turned away and rushed towards the cleric.

"Riff! Make yourself annoying to them!" Heal shouted.

"I'm trying! I'm just too... not annoying!"

"Argh! You are so annoying!"

Summoning the power of the innate element of Metal, Heal activated the Siren's Kiss and the mobs surrounding him dissipated into nothingness. After repeating such patterns, the trio finally arrived at the entrance to the Hall of Deception. They sat down to rest.

"So Riff... I see you all smitten over Ume! When are you going to ask her out?"

"W-what?! What makes you think I'm-I'm smitten over her?"

"Haha, never seen you spend so much time with a girl! Usually you are roaming about chasing butterflies or eating all the steak in the Kinetic fridge. You know, she's quite the cutie! That and her being the first tideborn in our faction!"

Noctiss shifted from where he was sitting and tightened his bandages.

"What about you Noctiss? What do you think about our latest Kinetic angel?" Heal asked, images of various female Kinetic members drifting across his very active and imaginative mind.

"She's pretty."

"Ah... so many women... so little time..." Heal sighed.

Suddenly, a chilling presence loomed over the trio and a floating apparition drifted by. Tendrils of eerie forest green light trailed in snakes behind it.

"W-what could that be?!" Riff whispered.

"That's definitely not Qingzi... doesn't fit the description at all!" Noctiss whispered back.

"We b-better report this when we get out! It looks menacing. What should we call it?"

"How about... Dismal Shade?" Heal suggested.

"Sounds good! It sure seems dismal enough... let's get out here!"

The three entered the Hall of Deception.

~ * ~ ~ * ~ ~ * ~

Limping back to Orchid Temple, Noctiss, Riff, and Heal congratulated each other with the success of their mission. Qingzi had fallen quite easily. Other than throwing some rocks and pawing at them wildly, he was just another figurehead behind a grander scheme. The encounter with the Dismal Shade however, was quite chilling in their minds.

"Congratulations, folks!" Fang, the scholar positioned at Orchid Temple by the Elder of Archosaur, greeted them. "As thanks and in assumption of your victory, I had prepared a feast of our finest cuisine and harem of ladies."

Heal, hearing that last part, perked up just as quickly as Riff did when he heard the feasting part. Noctiss however, was anxious to get moving to report and collect their bounty. Seeing how excited Heal and Riff were though, he shrugged and tightened his bandages. They followed Fang into a large room in the back of the temple.

"Ooo, what big, strong muscles you have!" Cooed one girl. Riff blushed.

The three had finished their meal and were lazing about the many cushions laid out for their comfort.

"So, when Qingzi turned around and glared at me, instead of feeling fear, I suddenly felt empowered with courage!" Heal was providing his account of what the squad had endured deep in the lair of the enemy.

"You are quite the mysterious one, how about showing me whats under... your bandages?"

"Uh... m-maybe not right now." Noctiss stammered back, unused to this type of female attention. "Please excuse me, I need to go to the restroom."

As he stood up to leave the room, Noctiss noticed Heal totally entranced with his girl. Noctiss rolled his eyes and turned to see Riff, humanoid form, standing in front of him.

"Whoa! That's a rare sight! What made you turn back into your wolf state?" Noctiss asked.

"I couldn't stand the smell."

"What? I know you have a strong sense of smell but the only scents here are of the finely perfumed ladies."

"No... The one Heal is in talking to... she smells of earth and death. Kinda like those Ossien guards from earlier, but maybe slightly better and less evil."

"... Haha, did Qingzi hit you that hard? Look for yourself. She is a living, breathing, and finely shaped lady. Don't be silly. You probably sniffed too much of the Hall of Deception and your senses have gone slightly out of whack."

As Noctiss walked past Riff though, he couldn't shake a certain feeling of unease.

That night, as Riff and Heal snored loudly and proudly, with a lady on each side, Noctiss slinked out of the room and lightfooted onto the roof. He then waited. Perfect. His intuition had been right. The lady Heal had been talking to earlier walked out of an adjoining room and to his astonishment, floated towards a figure standing past the edge of the candlelight in the backyard of Orchid Temple.

_If only I was a little closer... I can just barely see... And that's a big head, whoever is standing back there... Looks like a man... With a very big head..._

The lady seemed to be talking very quietly to the figure hidden in the dark. She was gesturing wildly as if distraught about something and was explaining. Or making excuses. The figure swung and the lady flew back a few feet landing on the ground, unconscious... or dead. What caused Noctiss' blood to run cold was the fact that no sound was heard despite the intensity of what just occurred.

_That's crazy... I'm sure I saw that figure smack her... And she didn't make a sound... What is going on here?! And how dare he treat a lady like that?!_

His anger flared and forgetting all about the potential danger he was in, Noctiss leaped off the roof and landed between the fallen lady and the man... or more accurately, thing. Noctiss suddenly felt such intense fear that he was rooted to the spot. Whatever the thing was, it had paralyzed him. Thinking of the lady, he managed to take a step forward with great effort. It was a mistake. Noctiss screamed in his mind at the sight before him. The thing had no face, but rather it's huge head was a mass of disgusting flesh and random faces protruding here and there. It had green moss growing randomly on its body and an aura of pure, horrifying evil. A demonic laugh echoed in Noctiss' mind.

"_Tideborn... Have you come to try to steal my slave? You are foolish and naïve to think you stand a chance."_

Noctiss couldn't speak, couldn't react, and couldn't do a thing. He had never felt so helpless. And how the hell did it know he was a Tideborn?

"_Weak! Your mind shall soon be mine! Forget all about life because life is nothing but suffering! You wrap yourself in bandages to hide your pain but in death, there is no pain to hide! Let go! Join me and become part of a greater being! Tideborn! You are fated to serve me for eternity! Bwahahaha!"_

It was getting harder to breath and think. He turned slowly with great difficulty to look at the girl behind him and try to warn her to run. Fortunately, she was beginning to stir. Noctiss spasmed in pain as his mind was being conquered slowly.

_No... this power... this mind control power... it could only be... it's the Bloodraged Cadaver... ugh..._

The lady stood up shakily and brushed the dirt off her dress.

"Run! Run!" Noctiss managed to gasp out. "Hurry! Wake the others and..."

He trailed off as he saw the lady shed a tear and tilt her head back. When she looked down again, her eyes were demon red and a dark aura surrounded her.

_No... she's a ladywraith..._

Noctiss fell to one knee and squeezed his temples with both hands. It was unbearable, the pain. Then, something snapped within his mind and he looked up, with demon red eyes as well.

The last thing he heard was the evil laughter of the Bloodraged Cadaver.

~ * ~ ~ * ~ ~ * ~

Morning came as always with cloudy skies. The sun tried and failed to shine its rays through the cursed clouds plaguing Orchid Temple and the surrounding area. To those suffering depression, the environment only provided to further assist the negativity. To those of happy mindsets, the environment dampened the mood, making them vulnerable to the mind manipulating evils lurking the woods. Many have entered brave and left with a blank mind, defeated so absolutely that they could no longer smile or even fake one.

"Why... are you always so happy?!" Heal was frustrated. They were searching for Noctiss and Riff was prancing along with his tail whisking through the air. It seemed that nothing could dampen Riff's spirits and though Heal truly respected that, he was growing slightly envious.

"I don't know... I just am. Say, didn't Noctiss seem anxious to get home though?"

"Yeah, kind of. He didn't eat much." Riff replied.

"So 'Riff' of you to be judging people's state of mind through their eating habits. He never eats much anyway from what I've seen whenever I've ate with him."

"Maybe he left early to go turn the quest in?"

"Maybe... well, let's go back to HQ and find him. He could have left a note but instead he decided to leave us clueless so we would spend time searching for him... geez."

Riff started to leave but noticed Heal looking around the room at the sleeping ladies.

"Who are you looking for?"

"Hm... just the girl I was talking to yesterday... Oh well... "

"Let's go, Heal."

~ * ~ ~ * ~ ~ * ~

"What?! He never came back!?"

"No..." Loor was getting annoyed with Heal and Riff. In addition to not knocking before entering her room, they were also talking very loud. "And where are your manners!? You know better than to barge into someone's room like that! You two have double dish duty this week!"

"Aww... " Riff groaned. He always had trouble washing dishes because they would break in his hand if he scrubbed too hard. That resulted in him being assigned to extra chores elsewhere which eventually led to further chores when he would mess up the previous chores...

"Anyways, are you sure Noctiss wasn't just exploring the temple?" Loor asked while walking to her bathroom to splash some cold water on her face.

"Yes. We searched the surrounding area all morning. Say, you missed breakfast!" Riff exclaimed, seeing that it was almost noon.

"Sigh... Riff, I think I will be okay..."

She quickly brushed her hair and slipped on a cute RAWR t-shirt and jean shorts. Short jean shorts.

"Wow Loor... you are so... so..." Heal's nose started to bleed and he had to excuse himself.

"That's one way to get him to leave." Loor giggled. "Okay Riff, looks like we need to get a search party together. I'll get Taka and Psilo since they signed into active duty yesterday night on the Kinetic bulletin board. You see if Heal can recover from his nose bleed and join us."

"Yes, Master Loor." Riff teased.

"Ugh, I told you, just Loor, leave out the 'master' part. Now shoo!"

As Riff left, Loor went next door to Taka's room.

"I'm gonna assume that you know the gist of what is going on since Riff and Heal were practically shouting?"

"Haha, Loor, I think it's cute how they all come to you at the first sign of trouble, you are like their mother and they are the two troublemaker kids!"

"Taka... would you join the search and rescue squad? We need to find Noctiss."

"Of course. I think Psilo was milling about downstairs looking for something to do, let's grab him as well."

"Okay! Let's go!"

"Hold on!"

"What?"

"Lemme get dressed first at least!"

"Oops! Heehee."


	5. Character List

**Character List**

**Name:** Riff

**Gender:** Male

**Class:** Barbarian (Wolf)

**Likes:** Tiger mode

**Dislikes:** Baths

**Appearance:** Usually a big white tiger that looks like its smiling with big fangs. Otherwise, a stern looking wolf barbarian.

**Personality:** Happy go-lucky, always ready for a big meal

**Miscellaneous:**

* * *

**Name:** Ume

**Gender:** Female

**Class:** Assassin

**Likes:**

**Dislikes:**

**Appearance:** In humanoid form, she has gorgeous red hair swept across her forehead and down her back. Tattoos adorn her pale purple-blue skin and two daggers sit at her waist. In tide form, she is a beautiful mermaid with golden hair and green eyes.

**Personality:**

**Miscellaneous:** Codename "CwutiePixie"

~ * ~ ~ * ~ ~ * ~

**Name:** Loor

**Gender: **Female

**Class:** Cleric

**Likes:** Kinetic

**Dislikes:**

**Appearance:** Emerald green hair and porcelain skin. Sometimes she is dressed in a traditional cleric's garb but sometimes she will wear casual clothes.

**Personality:** She gives an air of authority and yet the warmth that an older sister have. She is also quite tolerant of the more mischievous members of Kinetic

**Miscellaneous:** She is the beloved leader of Kinetic

~ * ~ ~ * ~ ~ * ~

**Name: **Noctiss

**Gender:** Male

**Class:** ??? Assumed to be a blademaster

**Likes:**

**Dislikes:**

**Appearance:** He is wrapped up like a mummy in bandages. All people can see are deep black eyes and pale purple lips. Only Loor knows his true appearance.

**Personality:** When mad, one can describe it as "silent fury". Noctiss isn't too talkative, but he will speak up when necessary. He is also quite the gentleman but most people would not think so.

**Miscellaneous:**

~ * ~ ~ * ~ ~ * ~

To be continued...


End file.
